FREE K-Mart Haul!

There’s one thing I like about stores that have rewards programs for their members … purchasing the things you need, allow you to gain points (etc.) for the things you want.  I was able to rack up a number of points using K-Marts Shop Your Way Rewards Program over the months of November and December, basically doing some Christmas shopping and some shopping for myself. I had loaded a few rewards incentives onto my card on the Shop Your Way Rewards site and off I went.  I had over $30 in points racked up from 3 transactions so I decided to use the points towards a few items I wanted to pick up before they expired.

The items pictured were completely free after using my rewards card.  I also had a few dollars left on my card, which I used the following week to pick up some candy at the store for Christmas gifts. Can’t beat free money right?

Here’s what I got:

• Conair 1 inch curling iron
• Tresemme Thermal Creations
• Aussie Aussome Volume hair spray.

QUESTION:

Are you a K-Mart Shop Your Way Rewards member?

Bath & Body Works Haul

I received an e-mail last week letting me know about a 1-day sale at Bath & Body Works where their 3-wick candles were on sale for $8 each. I know basically ALL month long candles have been 2 for $22 but I honestly held off from purchasing any because I knew this sale would be coming along. I remembered a week or two before Christmas last year the sale popped up and I had high hopes it would reappear this year and it did! Hooray!

While shopping at the mall I picked up a couple candles. Unfortunately the candle stock was pretty picked through at this particular store so I wasn’t able to get all that I was hoping to get, but I was able to get some goodies. I stacked my $10 off $30 and was able to get all four candles for $22. Quite a steal! I also had a free gift with any $10 purchase and since the coupons came together, I was able to stack them.

I originally grabbed my beloved Paris Amour body spray, but was told that the body sprays are $14 and the free gift is a $12 value.  Kind of lame considering before B&BW repacked their sprays you could get a body spray and you can’t even pay the $2 difference. I’m not huge on their body lotions and I don’t truthfully need another body wash. I spotted the Forever Red body sprays for $12 and brought it up to the cashier. She told me that those are originally $16 and on sale for $12 but for a one-time only she’d let it slide.

Here’s what I got:

-          Party Dress

-          Mahogany Teakwood

-          Peach Bellini

-          Black Tie

-          Forever Red Body Spray

QUESTION:

Have you taken part of any of the Bath & Body Work sales? And are you anxiously awaiting the Annual Clearance event starting December 26^th??

Haul: Bye Bye Blemish

Bye Bye Blemish Drying Lotion has become a staple in my acne skincare routine whenever I have a large/small breakout on my face. I realize this product isn’t a miracle worker (meaning it is not going to get rid of all my acne) but it’s a pretty stand-up product where it helps treat my acne, reducing some of it and working at shrinking others.

In case you’re not aware, Bye Bye Blemish is a sulfur based acne skincare product. So with sulfur based product, the product does have a very noticeable scent to it. But after a few minutes it doesn’t come off as very noticeable. Mario Badescu as well as other skin care lines have come out with drying lotion sulfur products.

I had this on my list of things to repurchase … and then I realized when I used my product last I didn’t screw the cap on all the way so some of the liquid had evaporated. So I went into “panic mode” and submitted an order on Amazon for it.  Hooray for Amazon and hooray for Bye Bye Blemish Drying Lotion!

You can see my review of the product here.

Klout Perk: Freeman Masks

I was awarded a Klout perk which was featuring Freeman masks.  I’ve tried some Freeman products in the past and have enjoyed them pretty much across the board. There have been a number of Freeman products I have not tried, so I was pretty excited to see the Charcoal & Black Sugar mask in the package I received. Since I have oily/acne prone skin I enjoy the effect charcoal has on my skin … so I’m pretty much excited to see how that mask fairs on my skin.  I’ve tried the cucumber mask in the past, but I have never tried their avocado mask so again, another product I’m looking forward to trying.

These are the few masks I’ve received:

Cucumber Facial Peel-Off Mask. According to the pamphlet, this mask is an all-over face mask for total renewal.  It is a thick gel mask that dries into a thin sheet that you peel to reveal brand-spanking new skin.

Avocado & Oatmeal Facial Clay Mask. According to the pamphlet, this is a great product to use in the T-Zone or any oily spots. It’s supposed to channel old school beauty routines with Freeman’s modern-day clay mask that pulls toxins out of the skin.

Charcoal & Black Sugar Facial Polishing Mask. This product is supposed to be great for dull, dry patches.  According to the pamphlet, the new product starts as a scrub but then purifies like a mask.

QUESTION:

Have you tried any Freeman masks?

Review: Lancome DreamTone

I received a sample bottle of Lancome DreamTone which is the lines ultimate dark spot corrector for the purpose of review. I have suffered from acne and pigmentation issues due to acne and scarring for a very long time. I had not really branched out to try any lightening/dark spot correcting products as I’m in a constant battle of finding the correct line of products that will work on curing my acne. But when I was invited to take part of this campaign, I was delighted. I’ve heard amazing things about the L’Oreal Youth Code Texture Perfector and have wanted to give that a try (I only bring this up because L’Oreal is owned by Lancome).

PACKAGING & PRICE

The product is packaged in a sleek pink to burgundy colored bottle, with a silver lid that you twist to one side to reveal the products dispenser pump. I like this design because you can feel it “click” open and closed and if the top isn’t fully clicked into “open” the product will not dispense. I feel the design itself makes this a relatively safe product to travel with. The bottle itself is a hard plastic bottle, which has a decent weight to it.

Each bottle contains 1.3 fl ounces of product and can be purchased for $98.

PRODUCT

The product is sold in three skin-tone appropriate formulas (fair, medium and dark). Each customized shade targets specific skin issues, while also coming in a shade that is appropriate and unnoticeable on the skin. For fair tones it’s customized to treat dark spots, uneven skin tone and redness.  For medium skin tones it’s customized to treat dark spots, uneven skin tone and sallowness (a yellow-looking complexion). Whereas for dark skin tones it is customized to treat dark spots, uneven skin tone and acne & blemish marks.  It is formulated without the use of parabens, sulfates and phthalates.  According to the brand and its trials conducted these are the results they found:

 

“IMMEDIATELY:

• 74% saw glowing skin*

7 DAYS:
• 70% noticed a more even skin tone*

4 WEEKS:
• 69% saw the appearance of dark spots reduced*

8 WEEKS:
• 78% saw color imperfections reduced*”

The product itself pumps out of the container in precisely just the right amount of product. You’re not left with an overwhelming amount of product. I simply dab the product all over my face and neck then blend it in wit my fingertips.  The color of the product will vary depending on the type (based on your skin tone) you purchased.  The product for medium skin is a pink shade. 

The product does have a fragrance to it, which I find to be completely delightful. It smells of roses and it’s very elegant and girly. I can smell the product on my face for a few minutes after application, but the scent quickly dissipates or perhaps it becomes unnoticeable to me.

Applying the product to my face, I apply a pump to the back of my hand, then use my fingertip to dab the product all over my face for even application. I then use my fingertips and gently massage the serum into my skin. I can wear this with or without makeup. I want to point out that I have oily skin and this does not make me extra oily or shiny. After the product is applied to the skin, you can almost immediately notice a glowy look to the skin. A few minutes after its set, that glow is more apparent. It’s not a shiny glow … it just makes me look more awake, it evens out my skin tone, and truly does tone down the appearance of dark spots/pigmentation issues on my skin. It also leaves my skin feeling luxurious - very smooth and silky to the touch.

PURCHASING

The Lancome DreamTone is available for purchase at select high-end retailers such as Macy’s, Nordstrom, Saks Fifth Avenue, Dillard’s, Bloomingdale’s, Neiman Marcus, Lord & Taylor and Sephora.  The product can also be purchased online at many of these retailers’ websites, as well as through HSN (Home Shopping Network) as well as though the Lancome website.

OVERALL

I am quite enjoying Lancome DreamTone and am finding it makes my face smooth and glowy. I will admit there have been days where I forgot to apply it at night or in the morning, so there have been days where I’ve only used it once.  But nonetheless I have enjoyed seeing the results. I’m not an everyday makeup wearer so I’ve been pleasantly surprised and quite thrilled with the results I see. My face can look tired, particularly when I’m feeling under the weather and DreamTone has completely given my face and skin a whole new life. Concurrent acne troubles aside, I feel my face is brighter, warmer and the focus is less on the current acne breakouts when wearing the product. I also like the fact that I can put this on my face and NOT have to follow up with a full face of makeup.

Since the DreamTone serums are broken down into color profiles to cater to specific skin concerns; I honestly feel as though I would benefit better from a combination of the medium and dark serums. My skin is medium/tan – but I have redness around my cheeks and nose, uneven skin coloring, sallowness (yellow-looking skin). My skin tone also gets darker in the spring/summer months, but regardless of that I also have blemish marks on my face from acne that I would like to give the 1-2-punch. Admittedly two bottles of DreamTone in different shades would be a pretty penny out of my wallet, but I may pay a Macy’s counter a visit while in the mall and ask for a sample and give it a try. If I like the results from the dark serum I’ll gladly purchase a bottle in that shade range.

QUESTION:

Have you tried the Lancome DreamTone?

Disclaimer: I received a sample bottle of Lancome DreamTone for the purpose of review. Even though I received this product for free, I want to note that this does not alter my opinion of the product in any way.

Avon Haul

Avon Calling!

This is an older haul and the photo has been sitting on my camera so to do some picture purging, I figured I might as well post this.  I mean, better late than never right?  I submitted this order when Avon was running a deal with Fergie perfumes and I got 2 bottles for the price of 1 or it was a buy one get one 50% off.  Since I owned one of the Fergie perfumes, I figured I might as well get the other 2 since I enjoyed the one I had.  I made sure to look up reviews and they ranged from all across the board, but for the most part the reviews were pleasantly positive.

Since I’ve also been looking into serums, when Avon launched their clinical multi-tone skin corrector serum I decided to pick it up. Since it was an introductory product, I got it for a little bit less than its future price.  I admit, I have not tried this yet, but since I’m trying a new serum at the moment, this one will be on the back burner until I’m done with that serum.

Here’s what I ordered:

• Fergie Outspoken perfume
• Fergie Outspoken Intense perfume
• Anew Clinical Absolute Even Multi-Tone skin Corrector

QUESTION:

Have you tried any new Avon products as of late?

The Body Shop Haul!

It shouldn’t come as a surprise that I love The Body Shop! I love The Body Shop so much that I have a stock pile in some of their products (particularly their tea tree line) and still have a list of items I want to try/replenish. I’ve been telling myself I was on a The Body Shop “no buy” but when I stumbled upon a $10 off $20 coupon which was featured on coupons.com I couldn’t help myself. I printed 2 coupons out and stuck them in my bag as I was anticipating a trip to the mall.

It was “meant to be” because when I got to the mall and the store was offering one of their spin the wheel deals. I spun the wheel and got 40% off all merchandise in the store. I made sure to ask the girl who gave me the discount card if I could use the $10 off $20 coupon and the 40% and I was told I could. So, that meant shopping spree … haha, no, not really.

Browsing the store I was immediately drawn to their new honey line.  The body butter smelled amazing, but I don’t really need any more body butters at the moment. Needless to say I did two transactions and only paid $22 for everything … which is fabulous since the hand and foot butter is $22 on its own.

Here’s what I picked up:

• Spa Wisdom of Africa Honey & Beeswax Hand and Foot Butter
• Tea Tree Squeaky-Clean Scrub
• Honeymania Eau du Toilette
• White Musk Smokey Rose Eau du Parfum

QUESTION:

What are some of your favorite – or new favorite products from The Body Shop?

Haul: Revlon Matte Balms & Lacquer Balms

Many thanks to the couponing community on Instagram for posting this DD-deal (double dip deal) for Walgreen’s Saturday night. About 2 weeks ago I purchased my first matte balm (haven’t opened that one yet) for $6.99 but thanks to this deal and some register rewards I only paid $3.01 for ALL 8 of these!  How so you ask?

Well, Revlon at Walgreens  (primarily at early activation stores) was ringing up 40% off as well as Buy 1 Get 1 50% off. So it was essentially $5.39/ea for the 1st & 2.69/ea for the 2nd. Inside the Walgreen’s coupon booklet (found in-store) there is a $2 Walgreens Revlon coupon and once scanned it takes $2 off each and every Revlon lip product in your transaction.  So with that it made the first balm $3.39 and the second $0.69 – so truthfully it was $4.08 for both.  If you had the $1 off Revlon manufacturers coupon from the Sunday paper, you would’ve paid even less ($2.08 for 2)  Unfortunately I did not have any manufacturer coupons, but I did have register rewards so that helped me out a ton.

So after my register rewards (for many of my free Nature Made vitamins I had purchased last week) I only paid $3.01 out of pocket for all of these! Talk about an amazing deal!

Here are all the shades I picked up:

Matte Balms:

• Striking
• Elusive
• Showy
• Standout
• Complex
• Sultry

Lacquer Balms:

• Ingenue
• Coy

QUESTION:

Have you tried any of the Revlon Matte or Lacquer Balms?

Haul: Practically free Vitamins & Makeup

I frequent the posts by fellow couponers on Instagram to see what deals are popping up in stores. I admit, my coupon game can be pretty snazzy, but I don’t have all the time in the world to seek out deals on my own – so that’s where the internet becomes a great tool.

Last week instagram and the couponing blogs were going bonkers because Nature Made vitamins were on sale, where if you bought two you paid less for the 2 than you would’ve if they were buy one get one 50% off.  The great thing also was that with each 2 bottles of vitamins you were awarded 3,000 register rewards ($3 equivalent) – without there being a cap on how many you could purchase.

Now if you take vitamins daily, like I, this sounds like a great deal … but to spend $10-18 to get $3 back, well, isn’t quite worth it.  But what made it worth it? Well the $5 off Nature Made coupons which were available in the Walgreen’s diabetes magazine. We were able to pair up $5 coupons on each bottle of vitamins (unless the equivalent total was $8 – then you could use a $5 and a $3 coupon).  I was able to get a number of vitamins completely free (B-12, Vitamin C, D3, etc.) the other vitamins I got I paid $2 for and got $3 back on my Rewards card.

After coupons, I only paid $7.30 for all the items pictured (the Elf Evil Queen kit was on clearance for $4.99 – but was originally $9.99). Talk about a great deal!

Haul: Wonderstruck Perfume Knockoffs

I popped into Big Lots last week and noticed they had a wide range of new knock-off perfumes available. Up until last year, I refused to purchase knock-off perfumes ... but I tried the knock-off Sarah Jessica Parker perfume and was astonished as to how much it smelled like the original. Since then I've given knock-off perfumes a sniff when I've spotted them in stores.

I've wanted the Taylor Swift perfume for a while now. Last Christmas I purchased the 0.5 fl oz gift set at CVS and have been using it as sparingly as possible.  Then when Taylor Swift released Wonderstruck Enchanted I was in love with that and wanted that.  So when I spotted these two knock-offs at Big Lots, I gave them a whirl and I was truly surprised with how much they smell like the originals. So for $3.50/ea I picked them up.  I'm on a bit of a budget right now and spending $100+ on perfumes for myself isn't in the books ... so $7 for two for the moment is doable.

QUESTION:
Have you smelled any knock-off perfumes lately that you were surprised smelled so much like the originals?

Haul: Jimmy Choo Eau de Parfum

I have wanted the Jimmy Choo perfume for well over a year. For a while I was stalking websites seeing who had it for the best price. I then talked myself out of it because I bought myself something else … and then I started watching the prices for the perfume on Amazon.  I almost purchased it, but then I started Googling (which is a good and bad habit to have) and was concerned as to if Amazon would be getting the perfume from a reputable seller (meaning it would be legit and not a fake).

Needless to say I didn’t purchase it … but I did have this on my Christmas list this year. That is, it WAS on my Christmas list until I went to Walgreen’s on Saturday. I originally went into Walgreen’s to simply pick up soda and decided I’d check the clearance shelf out back – not really expecting anything since this is a fairly new Walgreen’s (they just opened less than a month ago).

Low-and-behold the clearance section was PACKED with stuff. I found so much good stuff there that I bought a boatload, but one of things I was most excited for was of course the Jimmy Choo Eau de Parfum! The greatest part? The perfume was on clearance for $35.79 – which is less than half price for the same bottle on the Sephora website. Talk about the deal of the century. SCORE!

QUESTION:

Have you scored any unsuspected items at Walgreen’s as of late?

Happy Halloween! Sugar Skull makeup

Halloween is one of my favorite holidays because it allows me to dress up, even as an adult and give out candy to the little kids who come by. The past few years I have gotten into dressing up more and more and each year my choice of attire has gotten more and more creative.

Admittedly this year I wasn’t sure what I wanted to dress up as – if anything at all. I wasn’t feeling inspired and about 2 ½ weeks ago I was struck with inspiration, so before that inspiration had a chance to dwindle away, I picked up a few face paints at Walmart and some flowers at the dollar store.

I was inspired to paint my face in full Sugar Skull fashion while recycling a gothic black and lace dress I had picked up last year.  I did my makeup with a rather following the inspiration as it came.  I used white face paint, black face pain, colored wax pencils, face primer, translucent powder, black eye shadow and black eye liner.  I primed my face and when it dried I applied the white face paint. Before I got near my eyes I drew out the circles around my eyes and around my nose with eyeliner, then filled in the remainder of my face with the white paint. I then used a cheap makeup brush from the dollar store to blot on the translucent powder to keep the white paint from going anywhere.  I then used a foam tip applicator and began to pat the black face paint onto my nose and eyes.  After this I patted black eye shadow on top of the black face paint to set it in place. I then used the eyeliner and wax pencils to begin drawing on my face with whatever I felt inspired to draw – spider web, upside down heart, spirals, a flowery looking design, etc.

To tie it all together I cut up some fake flowers and tucked them into my air, holding them in place with a headband.  Overall I am quite pleased with how my makeup turned out.

Sadly, it started to rain a little while before trick-or-treating began … so we didn’t get nearly as many kids as we normally get. So that leaves one question: what do we do with all this candy?!

QUESTION:

Did you dress up for Halloween?

Nordstrom Mario Badescu Haul

I have been trying to complete my Mario Badescu acne skincare collection that was created for me from the skincare team at Mario Badescu. Initially I ordered four of the 8-9 items that were recommended for me. Initially I didn’t order everything because it was over $200 and I just wasn’t feeling that a number of months back.

I had been checking out sales on websites (Mario Badescu and Nordstrom) and was impatiently waiting. Since Ulta carries the line in-store I was frequenting the store near my favorite Trader Joe’s but unfortunately the line is always be pretty much picked over with only testers available. So, in stepped Nordstrom! They were having a “free gift with purchase” deal which was for a $60 (or $30 – I can’t remember) value collagen skincare kit. So … I jumped on board!  Plus with my Ebates account I was able to score 5% cash back just from ordering off the Nordstrom website, so it was a no brainer.

Here’s what I ordered:

• Acne Facial Cleanser
• Buffering Lotion
• Drying Cream

And these are the products that came in the collagen kit:

• Super Collagen Mask
• Peptide Renewal Serum
• Collagen Moisturizing SPF 15

QUESTION:

Have you tried anything from the Mario Badescu line?

SheSpeaks Lancome DreamTone

A few weeks ago I received an e-mail from SheSpeaks advising that I was selected to take part in a review of the Lancome DreamTone Ultimate Dark Spot Corrector.  I was rather excited because I had been looking at the L’Oreal Paris Youth Code Texture Perfector Serum for a few months.

The Lancome DreamTone is a serum designed to visibly correct dark spots, color imperfections and uneven skin tone. The serum is available to suit 3-skintones – fair, medium and dark with each serum helping to combat skin issues for those particular skin tones.  According to trials run 74% saw glowing skin immediately, within 7-days 70% noticed a more even skin tone, within 4-weeks 69% noticed the appearance of dark spots was reduced and within 8-weeks 78% saw color imperfections reduced.

I am excited to give this a try and see what results I obtain.  I do have acne scarring and dark spots on my face from the sun thanks to acne medication I have been taking.  I’ll be sure to follow-up with a thorough review in a number of weeks.

QUESTION:

Have you tried any dark spot corrector?

Klout Perk: EcoTools Brushes and False Lashes

I was awarded a pretty cool Klout perk a few weeks ago. I wasn’t sure what I was going to receive until I got my package delivered.  I have heard great things about EcoTools brushes and even their line of false lashes but I had never tried them out myself. From what I understand they have really fabulous brushes and I’m looking forward to adding these to my brush collection.  I haven’t ever used false lashes so I’m interested in seeing how these work. I had a pair of falsies in the past that had a huge band and were just … awful. So we’ll see how these EcoTools lashes are!

Here’s what I received:

• EcoTools Lash & Brow Duo
• EcoTools Full Eye Shadow
• EcoTools Naturally Beautiful Lash System in Naturally Lush and Wispy & Flared

Dollar Store Beauty Haul Part 2!

One of my local dollar stores had a bunch of cosmetics on sale that were from Rite Aid (most had Rite Aid price stickers on them). I was there the day they were initially putting all the products out, but since I had to be quick and take off to pick up my boyfriend since I was late to pick him up. I wanted to head back to the store that afternoon, but was busy with a bunch of things and since the store closes earlier than other stores; I decided to go back the following day. When I walked in and headed to the bins I noticed they were considerably empty in comparison to the day before. All the mascaras and eyeliners were gone, almost all the foundations and powders were gone.  Basically they had a few foundations, a ton of nail polish, a ton of lip glosses, some lipsticks and a few other beauty products here and there.

I admit I went a little grab crazy … but I mean for $1, why not buy stuff to try out?

Here are the products I was able to pick up:

• Maybelline Fit Me Foundation in 320
• Maybelline Fit Me Foundation in 325
• Maybelline DreamLumi Touch Highlighting Concealer in Beige
• NYC Big Bold Plumping Lip Gloss in Big is Beautiful
• Revlon Colorburst Lip Gloss in Atomic Pink
• L.A. Girl 3D Effects Hologram Nail Polish in Black Illusion
• Revlon Colorstay Nail Polish in Mocha
• Revlon Chroma Chameleon Nail Polish in Aquamarine
• Revlon Chroma Chameleon Nail Polish in Gold
• Revlon Chroma Chameleon Nail Polish in Tanzanite
• Revlon Chroma Chameleon Nail Polish in Topaz

Dollar Store Beauty Haul!

I went to a local Dollar Store yesterday and after browsing the aisles happened to notice a 3-tiered bin that is usually not in the corner. One of the guys that works there had a shopping cart filled with boxes and what immediately caught my attention was “MILANI” printed on the sides of the boxes. Milani … in the dollar store? That sent me into overdrive and I started poking through the display. There were Milani lip glosses, lipsticks, Revlon nail stickers, Sally Hansen gel nail polishes, Maybelline foundation and powder, highlighters, eyeliners, mascaras, etc.

I may have been the first person to start looking at the stuff because the top bin was piled high. It was a bit overwhelming because there was no where to put anything after looking through it but to pile it to one side and begin moving the pile back when done. If I had more time, I would’ve gone through it more thoroughly but since I was already running late on picking up my boyfriend I purchased what I got my hands on and left.

Here’s what I picked up on my first trip:

• NYC Big Bold Bronzing Powder in 602 Metripolitan
• Maybelline Dreamlumi touch Highlighting Concealer in Radiant
• Maybelline Dreamlumi touch Highlighting Concealer in Honey
• Revlon Chroma-Chamelon nail enamel in Amethyst
• Revlon Chroma-Chamelon nail enamel in Rose Gold
• Revlon Chroma-Chamelon nail enamel in Cobalt
• Revlon Chroma-Chamelon nail enamel in Pink Quartz

QUESTION:

Have you scored any unexpected buys as of late?

Sephora Haul

This is a little bit of an older Sephora haul … but better late than never!

When I had popped into Sephora I noticed they had a few more shades of the Kat Von D Lock-It Tattoo Foundation in stock.  When the line first launched and I finally got into Sephora they were completely wiped out and had been wiped out for more than a month.  Finally during this visit they had one option available in the medium.  I tried the tester on my skin and thought it was the wrong shade because I felt the yellow-undertone medium was more my shade.  The sales associate that was there felt this was my exact shade … so I took her advice and purchased it.

Then on the way to the checkout I spotted this fragrance sampler box.  The Prelude to a Kiss box includes 5 “Sephora Favorites” where the box was $20 and contains sample size perfumes for testing. Once I decide what scent is more up my alley, I can bring the little card inside and pick up a roller ball of my choice.  What really pushed me into purchasing this was the fact that Flowerbomb was one of the options.  Within the box the following fragrances are available: Chloe L’eau de Chloe, Gucci Guilty, Ralph Lauren Romance (which I own), Tocca Colette and Viktor & Rolf Flowerbomb.

QUESTION:

Have you tried any of the products mentioned above?

Baby Lips Dr. Rescue Medicated Balm – Just Peachy

I saw the Baby Lips Dr. Rescue Medicated Balm display originally posted on Instagram and I knew I had to pick one up. I am a medicated lip balm junkie! I love that tingle/burn on my lips from a medicated balm because I just feel like when it tingles, it means its working and hydrating.

I stumbled upon the display at my local Christmas Tree Shop and sadly the plain shade was not available, so I was in a toss up between Just Peachy and Berry Sorbet.  I ended up going with Baby Lips Dr. Rescue Medicated Balm in Just Peachy because I had hoped it would be like the regular Baby Lips in Peach Kiss, which is one of my favorites.  Unfortunately after bringing it home I quickly found that the medicated Just Peachy is actually a LOT more pigmented than the plain ole regular Just Peachy.  The regular just peachy goes on rather sheer against my skin tone and looks like a translucent lip balm when on my lips. The medicated one goes on rather pink, more pale pink instead of peach.  It just looks crazy against my skin tone which completely bums me out.

I’ve been using this by dabbing it against my lips to get the faintest amount of product on my lips and it shows up more translucent than pale pink. Even with the dabbing effect I can feel the cooling/tingling sensation that comes with medicated lip balms.  Now I wish I had picked up Berry Sorbet … but I may end up having to go back at some point to pick it up.

QUESTION:

Have you tried out any of the new Baby Lips Dr. Rescue Medicated Balms?

Mario Badescu Haul

I have heard so many rave reviews about Mario Badescu skin care, so a while back I had requested samples of products tailored to what my skin care regiment should be. I received the samples, tried them out and decided to purchase a few of the recommended products for my skin that I enjoyed.  I didn’t order everything – but just recently (this week) I submitted an order for additional items on the Nordstrom website.

The great thing with this initial order was I was able to obtain free shipping and I also received 15% off with a coupon code.  Mario Badescu products can be rather pricey, especially when you’re buying more than one product at a time, so the coupon codes certainly come in handy.  Depending on how these products work out for my skin in the end, I’ll try to purchase products again whenever those codes are offered by the company.

So this here is what I ordered:

-          16 oz. Enzyme Cleansing Gel

-          16 oz. Special Cucumber Lotion

-          2 oz. Drying Mask

-          2 oz. Healing & Soothing Mask

One of the cool things with ordering from Mario Badescu is with every order you can choose up to 3 samples.  These are the samples I chose:

-          Special Hand Cream with Vitamin E

-          Drying Cream

-          Whitening Mask

QUESTION:

Have you tried any Mario Badescu products?

Beauty by Krystal Giveaway Winnings!

Beauty by Krystal was hosting a giveaway on her blog in celebration of receiving 1,000 likes on her Facebook page.   With the giveaway she was awarding one lucky winner $100 in beauty products! I entered using the Rafflecopter app not really anticipating winning.  My luck isn’t always the greatest with giveaways or raffles, but I will say lately my online luck has been changing with online giveaways and raffles.

Anyway, I entered the giveaway and a few weeks later I received an e-mail from Krystal letting me know that I had actually won the giveaway.  It was great and I was excited because the products she was giving away were a lot of items I’d like to try out but had yet to, with the exception of a small few that I had tried.  She also graciously provided a few beauty samples as well.

I have been a longstanding follower of Krystal’s blog – it all started back in the early days of LUUUX where I followed Krystal’s beauty posts and then began following her with Google Friend Connect.  If you haven’t checked out her blog, I highly suggest you do!

Once again - thank you Krystal!

Here’s all the items I won:

·                                 Revlon Lash Potion Mascara

·                                 Nivea Creme travel size

·                                 EOS Lip Balm

·                                 Yes To Tomatoes Daily Pore Scrub

·                                 Yes To Carrots Daily Facial Moisturizer

·                                 Yes To Blueberries Eye Firming Treatment

·                                 Hempz Mini Pomegranate Body Wash

·                                 Mark. Scanda-lash Hook Up Mascara in black

·                                 Mark. Scanda-lash Hook Up Mascara in brown

·                                 Ojon Color Sustain travel shampoo

·                                 Ojon Color Sustain travel conditioner

·                                 Yes To Cucumbers Facial Towelettes

·                                 Bath & Body Works Warm Vanilla Sugar Shower Gel

·                                 Bath & Body Works Warm Vanilla Sugar Body Lotion

·                                 Bath & Body Works Warm Vanilla Sugar Hand Soap

·                                 Seventh Generation Lavender Lotion